Being part of the Kindermusik family

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Posted March 9, 2010

Kindermusik has over 5000 super-talented, super-dedicated Kindermusik educators around the globe. But at Kindermusik International, or (to use a term we never use) “Corporate Headquarters,” we’re a small, tight-knit group of employee-owners – KI is 100% employee owned. KI is a second family to many of the folks who work here. So when someone leaves, it’s always a very sad event.

Last year one of our favorites, Lisa Rowell, left the ranks and moved to Atlanta with her husband and two girls. Lisa, Ellery, and Emmy are pictured to the right, enjoying the oh-so-common Atlanta snow (it sure has been a strange winter in many places). While at KI, Lisa worked in marketing and, as anyone who knows her would agree, was one of the most funny, smart, silly, and engaging people you could hope to share an office space or conference call with.

We all hated to see Lisa go.

So we were delighted when we recently learned Lisa was still part of the Kindermusik family, although in a slightly different way. Below is a note she sent to our CEO, Michael Dougherty. With Lisa’s permission, we’d like to share it here. It was so nice for us to hear from Lisa, and the note also touches on so many of the fantastic aspects of Kindermusik – the sense of community, the time spent focused on family (both in the classroom and at home), the head start on learning, and of course the unbridled fun!

Thanks, Lisa, for keeping in touch and for being part of the Kindermusik family.

March 2, 2010

Michael,

Thank you.

Those two words are not written as a former Employee-Owner, although they certainly could be. During my seven-year tenure, I experienced a remarkable culture composed of talented, driven, and focused individuals, who made the decision to bring music into the lives of thousands of families.

Instead, these words are written as a Kindermusik parent. It has taken me 13 months to write this letter, because frankly, it took me that long to be “just a parent” in the classroom. I am no longer privy to strategy and budgets and marketing campaigns. The daily challenges and opportunities of being an Employee-Owner finally feel more distant than present. Now when I enter the classroom, I no longer think of it as market research or worry that my daughters won’t act “Kindermusik enough” for the other parents. Instead, I enter the classroom as just Emerson’s and Ellery’s mom.

In the fall, we took a Kindermusik hiatus, partly so we could settle into our new community and partly because the closest Kindermusik educator just had a baby. However, like other parents in the Kindermusik bulls eye, Clay and I want the best for our girls so we enrolled in Jane Hendrix’s program in Dunwoody (Our Time and Imagine That!). It was like coming home.

Our Imagine That! class includes other Atlanta transplants, who like us, sought out the familiarity of Kindermusik. We meet at 12:30 on Wednesdays for lunch in the classroom before the class begins at 1pm. These parents and children bring with them the experiences of other Kindermusik educators. Educators from California, Texas, and even Australian are represented. This is the type of Imagine That! class that we dreamed about: parents, children, and educator forming connections with each other that extends well beyond the classroom.

The joy my daughters’ experience in the classroom and at home is unique to Kindermusik. Our daily lives are filled with hayrides, bumpy rides on red wagons, Johnny and Katie finger plays, family jams, imaginary trips to toy stores, multiple readings of Shiny Dinah or Noodles from Scratch, and even puppet shows courtesy of Wags, Hopper, and Rascal. There are moments when my extremely verbal four-year-old becomes so excited to be in Jane’s class that she loses her ability to speak clearly.

As an infant, “My Bonnie” from You Are My Sunshine calmed Ellery unlike any other song. This became the final song I sing to them at night. Initially a solo act, my voice is joined now by both my girls. To the outside listener, our voices sound more “Tarzan, Frankenstein, and Tonto” than “Emmy, Ellery, and Lisa” but to me it is pure beauty. This is a moment that only the heart will ultimately catalog.

Kindermusik helped create these moments in our family. Thank you, Michael. I know these words will not reach every person who contributed to the wonder of Kindermusik. Through the years, the names and faces change, but the mission remains the same: To put a song in the heart of every child.

Thank you, Kindermusik, for putting an entire symphony in the hearts of my girls.
Warmly,
Lisa Rowell 

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Permalink | Comments (3) March 9, 2010 12:40

Thar she blows!

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Posted March 4, 2010

Babies and toddlers enjoy blowing. As they practice blowing, they strengthen mouth muscles and develop awareness of their breathing, which will help their language development.

With preschoolers and early elementary, blowing develops their diaphragms and builds muscle control necessary for singing and wind instrument playing.

Blowing also helps children become aware of the fact that they can use breath to make a variety of sounds, move things, blow out candles, or create a cooling breeze.

Blowing for all ages
· Blow kisses – even babies can do this!
· Blow through a straw into your milk, juice or water.
· Blow bubbles.
· Play a slide whistle or a harmonica (like the one in this semester’s Our Time).
· Put a dab of watercolor or thinned tempura paint on a piece of paper. Blow on it with a straw and make beautiful designs.

For older children
· Put a fluffy craft feather partially into the end of a drinking straw. Blow on the other end and see how far you can make the feather fly!
· Place a ping pong ball on the table. With players on each side of the table, try to blow it off your opponent’s side with a drinking straw.
· Whistle.
· Play a duck call or kazoo.
-posted by Miss Analiisa, who wants you to breathe in through your nose, and blow out through your mouth three times right now. Don’t you feel calmer?

Special thanks to Analiisa Reichlin for allowing us to share such an informative post from the Studio 3 Music Blog. Analiisa is Director of Studio 3 Music in Seattle, Washington, the world’s largest Kindermusik program.

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Permalink | Comments (3) March 4, 2010 11:41

Behold, the power of music!

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Posted February 18, 2010

Kindermusik educator Kathy Morrison recently received an email from one of her enrolled parents who is homescholing her children. The email read:

"I just found another HUGE benefit to the kids knowing all about steady beat. We recently began learning about syllables in words. I thought it would be kind of a tricky thing to teach, but I started by calling the syllables 'beats' and the kids didn’t have any trouble catching on. Once they were able to count the beats in a word (which didn’t take long at all), then I transitioned to calling the beats syllables. It was effortless! When one is homeschooling, there are few things that one can call effortless –- so thank you for setting up that foundation in my children!!!"
-Mother of Trudy (age 7), Elias (age 5), and Clara (18 months)

To learn more, check out our Benefits of Kindermusik page.

Special thanks to Brandi, mom of three, for allowing us to share this, and Kathy Morrison for allowing us to share a post from her blog. Kathy is in the Pittsburgh area and runs Kathy's Music, which is in the top 1% of Kindermusik programs in the world.

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Permalink | Comments (1) February 18, 2010 06:15

Walk the (curvy, straight, wiggly, wacky) line

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Posted February 16, 2010

In order to develop balance and stability, babies age 1-2 should practice walking in different directions and in different patterns. Non-walkers begin to develop the sense of balance by experiencing varied movements in a grown up’s arms.

For your crawler or lap baby, put on a piece of music you love. Hold your baby in your arms, and dance in curves, circles, zig zags, straight lines, and any direction you can think of. Be sure to change the direction you are holding your little one (frontwards, backwards, sideways or even upside down!) This helps your baby have a different visual perspective on the world.

For your walker, pull the car out of your garage. Take some sidewalk chalk and draw all sorts of different kinds of lines on the floor. Play follow the leader and have fun walking, running, jumping and tiptoeing on the lines. Be sure to change leaders, and let your child lead when he or she has the hang of the game. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your child will catch on.

-by Miss Analiisa, whose middle child Rob had a very clear preference to be held and rocked upside down when he was a baby. No small wonder he now is loving being a gymnast!
Special thanks to Analiisa Reichlin for allowing us to share such an informative post from the Studio 3 Music Blog. Analiisa is Director of Studio 3 Music in Seattle, Washington, the world’s largest Kindermusik program.

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Permalink | Comments (3) February 16, 2010 10:56

Thoughts on music, part 5 ("the best gift you can give anyone is presence")

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Posted February 5, 2010

Kindermusik 30-year veteran and guru Carol Penney shares some thoughts on music in a five-day, five part series.

Isn’t it amazing how fast these children in Kindergarten and First Grade are learning, gaining new skills and loving all they can do on their own? It’s easy (and frequently, a relief) to let them do just that – proceed on their own – especially with a younger sibling at hand.

I frequently wore the cloak of guilt that surrounds the issue of quality time v. quantity time. I remember stretching the definition of “quality” to include inviting my son to sit at the kitchen table and play a song on his glockenspiel (a simple barred instrument with the musical notes of a scale) while I cooked dinner, emptied the dish-washer, cleaned out the moldy containers in the refrigerator and made tomorrow’s lunches.

The best gift you can give anyone is presence – unencumbered attention and participation, connecting with what they are saying, doing, learning, enjoying. When a young child senses that something is important to you, important enough for you to invest your authentic and full attention, it gains in value, energy, and enjoyment.

“Let’s play our recorders!” (Because I purchased one, too, and love that he is teaching me what he is learning.)

“Play one note of a song and let me guess which one it is.” (Turn any new skill into a game that’s both fun and challenging. Keep requesting the addition of another note until you can you guess the song – or until he’s played the whole song!)

“Time for Bernie’s (our golden retriever) concert.” (Schedule a regular time everyday to practice a new skill. The rewards of mastery alongside the life lesson of the importance of practice will pay off in all aspects of life – in sports, in spelling, in music, in everything!)

If you feel you don’t have the skill necessary to participate in musical activities with your child, enroll in a class, like Kindermusik, that provides the knowledge and guidance you might be looking for. Many parents graduate from Kindermusik with their own new musical skills!
-Carol Penney, Kindermusik educator and employee-owner

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Permalink | Comments (1) February 5, 2010 12:19

Thoughts on music, part 4 ("capture their world of energy")

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Posted February 4, 2010


Kindermusik 30-year veteran and guru Carol Penney shares some thoughts on music in a five-day, five part series. Check back with Minds on Music each day for the next post!

Ahhh! Life with a preschooler. New skills, new questions, new activities, new friends. It can be downright exhausting! But you learn to embrace the emotional rollercoaster. Equilibruim: “I love you." "I love my hamster." "I love everything.” Disequilibrium: “My shoelaces aren’t right." "I hate salad." "I won’t go to bed.” (Do they still make shoes with shoelaces?)

You expect their world to be of opposites: conforming/rebelling; in-bounds/out-of-bounds; security/insecurity. But never underestimate the joy and the learning potential of their turn-on-a dime toggles from reality to fantasy. When you play with 3- and 4-year-olds, you really learn how to play. You don’t pretend to be a princess or pirate...you are a princess or pirate. The world magically transforms into a palace or a ship despite the uniformed eye seeing sofas and chairs.

As a grandma, I will not let the challenging aspects of a preschooler’s growth and learning sap my energy. I plan to capture their world of energy and eagerness and lean into that imagination.

Silly and Creative
Take those beloved nursery rhymes and make them silly – adding new rhyming words to foster their listening acuity, sense of rhythm and phrases, and creativity. Future reader. Future musician.

Sing a Story, Sing a Transition, Sing a Chore
Use familiar melodies (e.g. Row, Row, Row Your Boat) or make one up, then add your own words. (e.g. Toys, toys, toys away; Now it’s clean-up time; Quickly, neatly, that’s the way; Soon you will be done.)

Dance and Move throughout the Day
Like princesses, like pirates, with happy feet, with angry feet. Fill the day with a wide variety of musical styles and join in the creative expression while building musical awareness and a wonderfully expressive and coordinated body. (Theirs and yours!)

Need more music that’s preschooler tested? Enroll in a Kindermusik class or go to play.kindermusik.com.
-Carol Penney, Kindermusik educator and employee-owner

Check back tomorrow for part 5, the final part of the series!

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Permalink | Comments (0) February 4, 2010 12:23

Thoughts on music, part 3 ("the foundation upon which music skills are built")

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Posted February 3, 2010

Kindermusik 30-year veteran and guru Carol Penney shares some thoughts on music in a five-day, five part series. Check back with Minds on Music each day for the next post!

When my boys were toddlers, I perfected the art of clenching my teeth as I encountered strong will, defiance, and creative problem solving that usually involved something dangerous (we've all see the chair with three books precariously stacked on top while little hands reached for the cookie jar). I also discovered how quickly my locked jaw could transform into a melted heart. Toddlers are so darn cute! It was frequently hard to stay present for all that adorableness as I juggled the responsibilities of family, job, church, and neighborhood.

As I hang around toddlers -- perhaps to continue my grandmothering internship -- I'm amazed at what I'm learning. Jumping, for example, is filled with a therapeutic joy! Songs, movement, and rhymes are always a hit, no matter the mood or time of day. And, not coincidentally, these activities create the foundation upon which music skills are built.

Incorporate these into your day to encourage a happy, musical toddlerhood:

• Rhymes -- rhyming words support the development of languages, both spoken and musical. (Kindermusik will expand your repertoire. It sure did mine!)
• Movement -- moving large muscles promotes both learning and the development of steady beat. Toddlers especially love movements that challenge, such as jumping and galloping. Add a stopping part and you’ll be rewarded with spontaneous giggles and great partice of self-control.
• Sing, sing, sing! -- no training necessary...only the joyful enthusiasm that your toddler will model. From "The Wheels on the Bus" to "Yellow Submarine" to some silly nonsense song you make up, singing creates sweet moments, fosters creativity, and establishes a great sense of pitch.
• Play, play, play! -- anything is a potential drum or shaker. Explore the house for sound makers and accompany your singing, dancing, and favorite iPod hits. (Sound discrimination supports language development and auditory skills.)
-Carol Penney, Kindermusik educator and employee-owner

Check back tomorrow for part 4 of the series!

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Permalink | Comments (0) February 3, 2010 12:20

Thoughts on music, part 2 ("take full advantage of music's power")

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Posted February 2, 2010

Kindermusik 30-year veteran and guru Carol Penney shares some thoughts on music in a five-day, five part series. Check back with Minds on Music each day for the next post!

When my boys were babies, I was learning the Kindermusik curricula as a new educator. I was constantly singing, and quickly realized that soothing melodies could help with colicky nights and young ADD meltdowns. Singing and dancing could transform times of lethargy (i.e., the TV trance) into silly or joyful moments of movement, energy, and expression. Nursery rhymes and bouncing games could develop a strong sense of rhythm and beat (which helps in learning, sports, and music competencies).

In hindsight, I may have even underutilized these powerful tools that support development in all areas: social, emotional, physical, and cognitive. I can imagine that the busyness of today’s mom and dad allows precious little time to be together and sing, rock, bounce, dance, or listen.

In my next opportunity to parent -- in that “grand” way -- I will take full advantage of music’s power for learning, delight, and bonding. Nurturing a true music lover begins at birth (and probably even before).

Try following this prescription (begin practicing during pregnancy):

• Sing EVERY night at bedtime. (You don’t have to be a singer...the child hears the heart behind the voice.)
• Enjoy dancing with abandon every day to favorite recording. (You don’t have to be a dancer...all movement supports growth and development.)
• Accompany every diaper change with a nursery rhyme.
• Play calming music at naptime(s) or meltdowns.
• Incorporate a time to bounce to a beat. (Just bouncing steadily and stopping will evoke spontaneous giggles.)
• Rock, rock, rock.
-Carol Penney, Kindermusik educator and employee-owner

Check back tomorrow for part 3 of the series!

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Permalink | Comments (0) February 2, 2010 12:20

Thoughts on music, part 1 ("let music permeate")

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Posted February 1, 2010

Kindermusik 30-year veteran and guru Carol Penney shares some thoughts on music in a five-day, five part series. Check back with Minds on Music each day for the next post!

I can barely remember a time that “mothering” (to my boys of 26 and 30) hasn’t been a prominent presence and driver in my life -- celebrating, worrying, guiding, overcoming obstacles, desiring involvement, cherishing the hug/call/email/text, and so on.

More and more often, I experience “ahhhhh” moments as I realize my hand is off the tiller. They are launched -- living beautiful, independent lives, and I am humbled to have played a part. I often think about what I learned as a mom, afforded by the hindsight of age, experience, and 30 years of Kindermusik involvement. I also visualize who I will one day become as a grandmother.

The consistent thread through it all: music! It’s the panacea for many of the challenges that wreak havoc as children grow up. It calms babies. It brings joy to toddlers. It builds confidence in preschoolers. It develops far-reaching and long-lasting skills that grow musicians, creative problem solvers, and confident lovers of learning.

My single best advice for young parents? Let music permeate your home (and car)! Music makes parenting more joyful. Music helps children unfold into wonderful, responsible, caring adults. And you don’t have to be a musician to bring music in your child’s life -- just participate and enjoy singing, dancing, and listening together!
-Carol Penney, Kindermusik educator and employee-owner

Check back tomorrow for part 2 of the series!

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Permalink | Comments (0) February 1, 2010 11:00

On reclaiming the joyful spirit in life

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Posted December 9, 2009
Posted December 9, 2009

I have always loved music, and have been a musician since I was a young girl. I began playing the piano at age 7, and later added voice, clarinet, and handbells to my repertoire. Music has always brought me joy when I was feeling sad, or calmed me down when I was upset. (My family can attest that I have been known to literally “pound out my frustrations” on the piano.)

After completing 7th grade, I attended a music camp at a small college a few hours from where I grew up. There I had the opportunity to take a private piano lesson from the dean of the music college. I played for him a piece that I felt I had mastered, and he proceeded to point out all of my shortcomings in a way that put my fragile 13-year-old ego through the shredder. Then he told me that if I really wanted to “do” the piece, I would have to give up the other music activities that I enjoyed (accompanying the junior high chorus, playing at church, etc.) and focus completely on practicing that piece. After the lesson, I felt incompetent and utterly dejected.

As high school graduation approached, I began considering a career in music. While I knew that my musical ability had improved, that horrible music camp experience was still in my mind, and I still felt that my best efforts it would always be inadequate. There would always be someone like that music professor jumping on my every mistake, and music would become a source of stress rather than an outlet. In addition, the Midwestern work ethic with which I was raised conveyed the message that your job was just a job, and you weren’t meant to enjoy it.

So, I pursued my other talents, mathematics and business, and became an actuary, working for 2 different insurance companies for a total of 16 years. I endured the stress of studying for and passing a series of extremely difficult exams, working 50+ hour weeks with no end in sight, juggling career and family, and always feeling like I wasn’t doing enough. There was very little about my career that I could call fun, and I know I wasn’t much fun to be around. What was fun was making music, as I became a church and community musician and began teaching music to children.

In late 2005, I left my executive-level job to take some time off and figure out “what I want to be when I grow up.” What I figured out is that life is too short to not enjoy what you do, and what I enjoy is music. In the fall of 2006, I began teaching music at local preschools and became licensed to teach Kindermusik. Shortly after that, I formed my business and chose the word brioso, which means “with vigor and spirit.” In 2007, I began teaching Kindermusik classes and private piano lessons. And I have discovered that singing and laughing with children nearly every day is a wonderful boost to the spirit. It is my hope that all of you reading this are fortunate enough to spend your lives doing work that feeds your spirit as well.

-by Kindermusik educator Julie Bosworth. Julie owns and runs Julie's Music Brioso, a Kindermusik program in Olathe, KS.

Considering a career change like Julie? Learn more about teaching Kindermusik by clicking here.

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Permalink | Comments (2) December 9, 2009 09:41